Promise
by Rosegalaxia
Summary: An old promise made. An old bond formed between the fathers of one beautiful woman and three handsome men. How will the circle be completed? Will revenge over forgiveness be chosen? Lust over love?


Storyline: An old promise made. An old bond formed between the fathers of one beautiful woman and three handsome men. How will the circle be completed? Will the the path of revenge over forgiveness be chosen? Lust over love?   
  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me.  
  
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PROMISE  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Rosegalaxia  
  
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{{{ 1295 A.D. }}}  
  
The McNialson house was in an uproar. The three young masters were nowhere to be found. The older master could be heard ranting and raving at his wife.   
  
" Why haven't you instilled a drop of respect in your three sons?"  
  
She tried to pacify him, " They're young and will lear-"  
  
Ronald turned on her in rage. " Young? No matter how young, you should have taught them to have honour and dignity and pride when it came to the family name."  
  
She wringed her hands together. " They're upset because-"  
  
He ignored her. After all, what else were wives for? " And why haven't you taught them that their hopes and dreams don't matter? All that's important is following my orders for I am infinitely more wise than them. When they are approaching 60, have three sons and five daughters, are the head of a large bustling keep and are in favour with the King's closest advisor, then they can go about doing what their hearts wish. But for now, as long as they live under my roof, they will do what I tell them to do. It is my right."  
  
Lady McNialson stayed silent this time. What was the point in talking? For he was right. After all the boys did owe that man their very lives. For if Ronald had been killed that fateful day, 25 years ago, and thus if he hadn't changed his mind about not having sexual relations with his wife but with other women, then they would never have been born. But still, she knew that her babies suffered. They all had their hearts set on their dreams and this path their father was forcing them to take was not what they had thought out to do.   
  
She prayed that everything would be alright in the end. That the Lord would have mercy on her sons and would grant them happiness no matter what their father forced them to do.  
  
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Nial McNialson, named after his grandfather, groaned as the wench's silky mouth covered his own. The haze of desire stole over the edge of his vision as he felt the woman- what was her name?- manoeuvre herself on top of him. God, he would do anything to forget the news his dear father had imparted on him and his brothers. Anything. His stomach muscles clenched and gripping the lass's hips, he shoved upwards. Anything. And if that thing was so enjoyable, well, so much the better.  
  
Pushing the wench off him as he regained conscious thought after his release, he threw her onto the ground and ignored her yelp of pain. Who cared what she was going through? This night was about him, him, him and if she couldn't take it, she could go find some-one else to give her a gentle ride.  
  
Shoving her legs apart and sliding down so that his mouth was at the juncture of her thighs, he breathed in deeply and closing his eyes, went to work.   
  
He would do anything to get out of it. Anything.  
  
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" More", Darien McNialson panted as he flipped himself off the ground. He gestured towards himself. " More."  
  
The soldier in front of him leaned heavily on his sword and wearily shook his head. " I cannot, m'lord. I cannot."  
  
Darien stepped forward as the red hue of rage drifted across his eyes. He kicked at the man's legs until he fell onto the ground, where Darien then spat. Shoving his sweat-dampened hair off his forehead, he scowled at the line of soldiers who nervously stood some distance away.  
  
" More I said." He said and smiled grimly to himself as he saw that the soldier who was coming towards him was shaking and his legs could barely support him.  
  
What did he know of fear? The fear for one's freedom. For that was about to happen because of what his loving father had told him. God. He would do anything to forget the talk his father had had with him and his brothers.   
  
He would do anything to get out of it. Anything.  
  
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Seiya McNialson, named after the foreign uncle who had died and not left his riches to his namesake nephew as hoped, gripped the tumbler of ale in his hand and swallowed the contents in one gulp. He signalled the barmaid for some more and ignored the thought that the next morning he would be sorry for imbibing so much. But he would do anything to dull the pain of what his darling father had told him. Anything, as his vision dimmed and he fell forward onto the table.   
  
He would do anything to get out of it. Anything.  
  
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Serena Williamson gripped the reins of her mount tightly in her hands and urged Milly to canter a bit faster towards the house. The Sun had already set and her father would be quite angry with her for being late. But she couldn't help herself. Whenever she was with Andrew, she always lost track of the time. Especially today. For they had lain on the grass, had touched each other, had whispered sweet nothings into the other's ear and had talked about their future. Their married future.   
  
" Oh Lady Serena. Your father has been out here, looking for you so many times. You must hurry to the small hall where he said he'll be waiting." A hassled groomsman took the reins from her and helped her to the ground.  
  
Serena smiled cheerfully at him, undeterred by the fact that her father would impatiently- as well as angrily- be waiting for her. Nothing would spoil her mood today. Not know that Andrew had asked her to marry him. Not now that they had planned that Andrew would go to her father the next day to formally request for her hand in marriage. Not today.  
  
Skipping merrily along the halls towards her father's study, she brushed at her hair with her fingers and ruefully smiled as pieces of grass fell out. Oh well. Nothing could be done about it now.   
  
Opening the large, stately door to her father's inner sanctum, Serena walked forward and hiding her playful grin behind a sombre mask, she dipped and curtsied to her father.  
  
" I apologise my father. I did not realise that I was so late. But Andrew and I were talking and I have something really important to tell you." She waited for a reply from him but apart from the horrified expression on his face- they did love to play act- she got nothing. " Not going to ask Father? Never mind. We will tell you." She giggled." What I mean is, I will tell you and Andrew will ask you. Have you guessed yet Father?"  
  
Her smile fading, Serena gasped as Brian Williamson suddenly stood from her chair and held up a hand which, she apprehensively noted, was trembling... with rage, she could see it in his eyes.   
  
" You fool girl." He hissed at her and slashed a hand around him. " Look around you. Have you no manners?"  
  
She did as he had so venomously ordered her to do. And sure enough, her burgeoning fears were confirmed. Seated on the chairs which lined one side of the hall, four men sat. Three of them were well back in the gloom and so she could not see their faces. The fourth one was an old man with thick, white hair and piercing dark eyes.   
  
Serena looked back at her father and when he looked over at the men, she turned that way and curtsied. " I do apologise for my rudeness. You see, I hadn't seen you there for I was in the grip of extreme excit-"  
  
The old man stood from his seat and stepped towards her. " That was quite obvious young lady. I am Lord Ronald McNialson and you must be the Lady Serena we have come to see."  
  
Serena smiled uncertainly at him. " Me? You've come to see me?"  
  
Lord Ronald smiled back at her. " Yes. We have. Boys." The three seated giants stood up as one and moved forward into the light. " These are my sons. Nial, my eldest," he gestured towards a man who had dark brown hair and the same black eyes as his father. " This is Darien," a man with black hair, deep, intense, blue eyes and a scar running from the corner of his right eyebrow to the tip of his right ear lobe. " And my youngest, Seiya." A man with bloodshot black eyes and long, tied-back black hair.  
  
Serena stared at the men for a while before turning to her father. " Who are they father?"  
  
Sir Williamson sighed. " They are your future Serena."  
  
She gazed at him, not registering the meaning of what he had said.  
  
Then, one of the men, Darien, stepped forward and told her what she was beginning to suspect but didn't want to believe. Told her something that blew her dreams to Kingdom come. Told her something which broke her heart.  
  
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{{{ 1270 A.D. }}}   
  
Ronald, son of McNial and so known as Ronald McNialson, stiffened as his ears registered the sound of footsteps treading softly behind him. And in front of him. And on either side of him. He was surrounded.  
  
Now what did one do when one knew that one could loose his life, but more importantly his purse which contained the pieces of gold he had just collected for his smuggled goods? Why one screamed of course. But if only one was a girl. Or a coward. He wasn't a girl so... oh well. He was a coward.  
  
" Ahhhhhhhh!!!"  
  
Then, after giving a satisfactorily blood-curdling scream, one ran. In any direction. Regardless of the fact that one was surrounded. After all, one had to do something. One did not just stand there and piss in his pants. One ran and pissed in his pants.   
  
" Got ya."  
  
And then... one got caught. So of course one screamed again.  
  
" Ahhhhhhhh!!!"  
  
Now, as the brigands rifled through his pockets, Ronald snivelled and desperately prayed for a saviour. Oh Lord, please let some-one save me. I promise, if you save me from death, I will never threaten the widow Sam about sharing my bed. Oh Lord if I could just be delivered from this evil, I will never steal the orphan Sarah's wages. Oh Lord, if you would not take my life today, I will promise that I will treat my wife well and never lock her in her room because she didn't want to give her body to the blacksmith in return for the one milking cow he promised me. Oh Lord... oh Lord...  
  
Perhaps the Lord God heard this man's babbled pleas. Perhaps this wasn't his time to die. Nonetheless, Ronald McNialson's rescuer appeared in the form of man, who, swishing his great sword from side to side, strode into the scene with eyes blazing.   
  
He neatly swung his sword and off came the arm that was pinning Ronald to the floor. Another swing of the weapon resulted in another man's foot being severed from his leg. As the pain-filled screams rent through the air, Ronald's saviour took out a small blade and aiming it at the third man, accurately threw it so that it pinned the man's hand against his scabbard, where he was trying to draw his sword. As for the fourth man, well, he looked at the state of his colleagues and turning tail, fled the scene as if all the hounds of hell were after him.   
  
Ronald lay gasping on the ground, his eyes staring fearfully at the man. He tried to sit up but honest to God, his legs wouldn't be able to support him. It was far better to show bad manners by sitting when the other was standing than to loose one's dignity by falling flat on one's face.   
  
He could however express his appreciation. " Thank-you. Thank-you my good man. You have saved me. Thank-you. I would have been dead if not for you. I owe my life to you. Anything you ask, I will give to you."  
  
The man looked measuringly at the creature who sat in front of him. By the what he had seen just a few moments earlier, this man didn't possess the attributes of bravery he was looking for. However, he wore silk and so was obviously rich. Perhaps...  
  
Then in 1270, the year of the Christian Lord Jesus, a deal was made between the two men which would span thousands and thousands of days. A bond was formed between them which would span the distance of a whole country and would remain unbroken despite the wishes and desires of the others involved. A promise made and sealed in blood.   
  
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{{{ 1295 A.D. }}}  
  
Darien pointed towards himself and his brothers. " You are to choose one of us three to be your husband."  
  
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Not very long I know. However, I wanted to see what kind of response I got. If there are only a few readers, then I don't want to waste time carrying on with this story. I don't want a repeat of what happened with my fic Mysterious Waters, whose first chapter is very long and took a lot of time to write and there hasn't been enough response to convince me to carry on.  
  
So, review.  
  
Rosegalaxia  
  
rosegalaxia@yahoo.com 


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